2005 Toyota Sienna LE 3.3L

Summary:

Great van despite some minor issues

Faults:

Rear hatch hydraulic arms failed and were replaced under warranty.

Front brake caliper pins frozen at 88000 miles.

General Comments:

This van has the smoothest shifting automatic transmission I have ever experienced.

Driver side sliding door squeaks going over speed bumps or rough roads. Lack of structural strength?

Reliable and powerful engine.

Comfortable front seats, so, so back seats.

Terrible tire wear even with normal tires (not the run flat type) I have used a variety of brands and price range tires; nothing seems to last longer than about 35000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th August, 2011

2005 Toyota Sienna V6

Summary:

Best mini van I have ever drove

Faults:

Normal wear and tear.

I also had a recall with the front driver's door.

It never left me stranded in all my traveling.

I did have to replace timing belt and front brakes.

Front head light covers changed color really quick, however I live in Florida, so it is a way of life.

General Comments:

I am a salesmen and travel about 45,000 miles a year, and this car never left me stranded. I am also a very fast driver; 80 mph most times.

My company has 5-6 of these, and all of us have the same story. It is a great car that you can really drive, plus it is fun.

My new 2010 does not handle as good, but it's bigger, and already has 14,000 miles on it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st December, 2010

2005 Toyota Sienna CE 3.3L

Summary:

Very comfy, but too many hardware problems

Faults:

Too many hardware problems!! But still a great van!!

General Comments:

Right side sliding door always jams, and things just always fall off.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd September, 2010

2005 Toyota Sienna XLT 3.3 V6

Summary:

Expensive to maintain, problematic, luxury van

Faults:

40K On Purchase: Driver's door not working properly. Within 10K door the spot weld broke away from the door check. As the vehicle was out of warranty, we had to pay to get it fixed.

42K - new tires. Have purchased a new set of tires every 20K miles - the thing eats tires.

62K - standard maintenance = $1,500.

105K - door weld breaks again.

105K - air conditioner breaks down while in Florida in 100 degree heat, shooting pieces of metal into the air conditioning lines - beg and plead at dealership and get repair cost lowered to $1,700 from $2,500 quoted for repair. The dealer stated they see a lot of air conditioner repairs.

80K - radio starts having problems on cold mornings - LCD display freaks out and radio does not work. Eventually works once warmed up. Did not repair.

110K - Toyota has a recall on door, but refuses to fix ours as we now have over 100k on the vehicle.

120K - sunroof explodes while driving down the road. Insurance repairs, but I believe it was caused by pressure waves when the windows are down.

120K maintenance performed = $1,500.

130K - Air conditioner fails again - this time, separate part of air conditioner fails - $1,200 repair.

135K - sunroof motor fails. Just got it cranked shut and left it.

140K - car on 4rth set of tires, very expensive on 17" XLT rims.

General Comments:

Fantastic engine, smooth car, very poorly made in other areas, especially for a $36K vehicle.

Extremely expensive to maintain. We do all the maintenance, but have still had extremely expensive repairs from mechanical failures.

Poor service from Toyota on door, air conditioner and sunroof problems.

I believe it will run for over 200K, but am extremely disappointed in Toyota's poor response to our very common issues and problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd August, 2010

19th Jul 2017, 16:41

I am the original poster.

The van now has 300k miles on it. The engine and drive train are still strong.

Finally broke down and replaced all the catalytic converters, and it now drives with no problems.

The driver's side door is now having problems due to the original welds failing at 40k miles - will probably have to replace it at some point if we continue driving the car.

29th Apr 2019, 23:39

You posted in 2017 300k miles. It’s 2019, does it still run?

13th May 2021, 21:03

Decent review. I assume you didn't mention all issues, but it's good to see the high cost items and their frequency. As for the cost, that's main dealership prices, no matter the car, dealerships sell parts at high cost to make profit. It's often times much more affordable to buy the same part from the actual brand that makes it for the main dealerships, and have it installed at a small local garage if you can find one honest and knowledgeable (quite a difficult find). Some people can also go with used parts if someone knows how to verify how old is a particular part on sale on Ebay or alike places.